


Diplomatic Relations

by Hey_its_Laura



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, HTTYD - Freeform, Hiccstrid - Freeform, Idiots in Love, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, Pre-Canon, Teen Romance, Teens in love, it's complicated - Freeform, they just don't understand their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-24 23:24:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20714276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hey_its_Laura/pseuds/Hey_its_Laura
Summary: Hiccup did not expect that in only a month, he'd become so attached to Beserker Island. Or more specifically, a girl from Beserker Island.





	1. For the Sake of Trade Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! *waves excitedly*  
This is the first fic/drabble that I'm posting. I want to thank @celtictreemuffin (on Tumblr) for walking along with me during this process. And most of the dialogue is thanks to her. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. :)
> 
> All you need to know about the story is that this is an AU where Astrid grew up on Beserker Island and that it takes place before HTTYD1's events. On with the story.

Hiccup didn’t know why he had dreaded this so much.

When his father, the chief of Berk, had told Hiccup that he would be spending a month on Beserker Island to “form relations with neighbouring tribes”, he had been completely against the idea. Unfortunately, there was no arguing with Stoick the Vast. Now here he was, not wanting to go back.

The first day was very tense and awkward. It was mostly formal introductions and stiff handshaking. Hiccup found it very difficult to keep up appearances. First of all, because he didn’t have any. Second, because he was a tired, adolescent boy, ready to sleep in a comfortable bed after a week of travelling at sea. Hiccup noted smugly that Fishlegs wasn’t faring much better.

After practically begging Hiccup’s father to let him tag along, the boy had spent the entirety of the voyage nagging at Hiccup’s ear, saying that this would be a wonderful opportunity for the both of them.

_Maybe now, Fishlegs would see why he wasn’t looking forward to the next month_, thought Hiccup, as he smirked at the pale colour of his companion’s face.

The Beserker chief, Oswald the Agreeable, was the first to greet them along with his son, Dagur, standing beside him. Hiccup had met them both before whenever they’d come to Berk to renew the treaty between their tribes. He wasn’t too fond of Dagur. He was always so extreme. Hiccup was shocked to find that his younger sister, Heather, was almost his polar opposite. He had never met Dagur’s sister before. She was pretty with her black hair and faded, green eyes. She couldn’t be more than two years younger than Hiccup. She was probably thirteen or fourteen. Apart from a simple “Hi”, she didn’t say much, choosing to keep to herself. Although, she did pay closer attention to a blushing Fishlegs.

The chief then led him and Fishlegs to the center of the village where he was met with a crowd even larger than the one at the docks.

A big, blond man approached them, giving Hiccup a welcoming smile and introducing himself as Arvid Hofferson.

“My most trusted companion,” completed Oswald, clapping the man on the back.

Hiccup had managed to muster up an equally warm smile. This month would probably be less excruciating if he at least made an effort to seem pleasant.

Arvid gestured behind him to where his wife was. Beside her, stood the most beautiful girl Hiccup had ever seen.

She was dressed like a shieldmaiden and carried herself proud as one too. Her golden hair was tied back in a braid, resting over her shoulder. A brown kransen circled head.

As they made eye-contact, he saw that her eyes were the same blue as the sky above them. She was a goddess trapped in Midgard.

She eyed him indifferently, as if this whole ordeal was a waste of time. To which Hiccup agreed. But he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

* * *

Not much had changed over the past few weeks. He still looked like an idiot whenever they were in the same room together, but over the month, he’d learned how to somewhat disguise his feelings.

Miraculously, she paid attention to him and had even befriended him. When they were in public settings, Astrid tended to ignore Hiccup unless they were around more people their age. He found it strange but didn’t mind. He was used to being ignored.

Hiccup turned to look at her as they were cleaning dishes in the kitchens of the Great Hall, wondering if she was going to take this private moment to talk to him. She’d been unusually silent since Heather had asked him if he was ready to go back to Berk in three days during dinner.

Heather had become a good friend to Hiccup. Though, he suspected she spent time with him to get closer to Fishlegs, who always looked like a tomato around her.

Accepting that Astrid wasn’t going to say anything unless he initiated a conversation, Hiccup turned to her, but in the process of doing so, accidentally splashed her with the spoon he was holding.

“Sorry.” He quickly turned away, red-faced, abandoning all his conversation plans.

He felt cold dishwater spray on his back and spun around to be met with a smug-looking Astrid holding up a wet bowl. Hiccup couldn’t afford to lose this battle. He plunged his hands into the soapy sink and launched it toward Astrid. The result wasn’t as victorious as Hiccup expected. His attempt had been blocked by a pan Astrid was shielding herself with. She laughed loudly at Hiccup’s look of disbelief. With her makeshift shield, she sent a large wave his way. Hiccup gave up on trying to preserve the long sleeves of his tunic as they were completely soaked by his attacker. He caught Astrid off-guard while she was reloading another soup bowl and ambushed the girl with his own. They were both dripping soap-water when Astrid shot Hiccup a playful death glare, daring him to see what would happen if he splashed her again. He had been encountered with sufficient experiences like these to understand that the game was over.

They shared a laugh at the intensity of the moment, recomposed themselves, then went back to the chore at hand.

“So, what did you do that was so bad, you got stuck with dish duty?” Hiccup was curious to know what made the daughter of one of the most influential people on Beserker Island land the lowliest chore they could offer. Everyone in the village helped out, but he wouldn’t expect Astrid to be washing dishes with him.

“Well, it was either that or sort through the good and rotten fish in our supply.” She swatted away a stray strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face and continued to focus on the wooden spoon she was washing.

He supposed that was a good enough reason, although fish sorting was an even lower chore for her status. Maybe it was different here than it was on Berk.

Hiccup sighed, remembering that he would be returning to his island in three days. Even though he was the son of the chief, he wasn’t particularly liked around his village. He couldn’t say he had many friends. Fishlegs only recently had begun speaking with him because they were on this trip together and they were the only ones each other knew. Although, Fishlegs and him have grown closer than he has ever been with anyone from Berk. Heather had become a friend to Hiccup along with his travel companion. Even Dagur, with his unpredictable behaviour, he’d gotten comfortable with. Whenever they were all together, Hiccup felt appreciated. Despite their playful teasing, they treated him like he was valued and like his ideas mattered.

Going back to Berk would mean leaving all of this behind. Hiccup knew there wouldn’t be friends waiting for him on Berk, because as soon as got back on land, Hiccup would go back to being “the screw-up”.

By far, the thing he was going to miss the most was Astrid. Out of everyone, she was the kindest to him and the most fun to be around. Ever since he first saw her, she’d overtaken all his thoughts.

At first, he marvelled at her divine beauty. She seemed untouchable. He had no chance with a girl like that. As the weeks passed and he got to know her, he discovered that she was even more beautiful than just her exterior. Astrid was independent and extremely loyal. Definitely not a force to me reckoned with.

Surprisingly, she had started speaking to him. They’d had many interesting conversations. Most were about funny things happening around their villages, others had them deeply thinking about their way of living as Vikings. It didn’t matter what it was, she always paid attention, even when he rambled on about his mechanical projects. Astrid was something else entirely.

“I’m bored,” Astrid stated, bringing Hiccup back to the present. “I wasn’t expecting to take a bath when I came in here to help, but I’d say I’m pretty clean by now, so I don’t think splashing each other would be a good option to pass the time.”

She gestured to their drying clothes and Hiccup couldn’t help but agree with her claim.

“What do you propose then, milady?” he asked, opting for a mockingly formal bowing gesture.

He righted himself quick enough to catch her cheeks flushing before she answered, “Instead of having you lose a limb for being so gods-awful at defending yourself against water, I’d say we could play Truth or Dare.”

“I guess my dad would be a bit concerned if I showed up with a missing leg, or worse, dead.” To be honest, his dad probably wouldn’t bat an eye.

“Yeah, that would be the end of friendly trade negotiations.”

“So, for the sake of trade negotiations, that’s not a bad idea,” Hiccup finished while Astrid stifled something between a scoff and a snort.

Gods, he loved making her laugh. He went to Valhalla every time he heard that glorious sound.

“Truth or dare, Haddock?” she asked after composing herself. Her challenging gaze met his.

He put his hands on his hips only to remember that they were wet and he was ruining his clothes even more. His attempt at an equal intimidating stance, a failure, he then retorted, “I think I deserve to go first after you _assaulted_ me.”

“_Splashed_ you.”

“You didn’t deny it,” he said, “So, _Hofferson_, truth or dare?”

She probably just wanted to get on with the game, but Hiccup decided to interpret her acceptance as a surrender when she replied, “Dare.”

After a moment of pondering, he came up with the perfect idea, “Next time you see Dagur, walk around the whole village with an arm around his waist.”

The dare made her react exactly the way he expected.

“There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that I’m doing that!” She said, exasperated, “You of all people should understand!”

Of course, he understood. That’s why he chose this particular dare to get on her nerves. Astrid had admitted to Hiccup a week ago that she had always felt pressured to form a romantic relationship with the Berserker heir, her family being close with the chief’s. Hiccup had even been a witness to a situation where a shieldmaiden had hinted at her and Dagur’s hypothetical engagement being a successful one. He’d also been witness to her taking out her deadly rage, an hour after the encounter, on an unfortunate tree with her axe.

“If I’m seen around the village with him, I’m basically accepting his proposal.” She turned back to the dishes, furiously scrubbing a pot.

“My alternate dare would be for you to kiss him.” _Or you could kiss me_, he wanted to say, but she’d probably choose Dagur any day over him.

“Fine!” she settled, not meeting his gaze, “I’ll do the first one.”

“I’m holding you to that” he said smirking.

Without hesitation, she abandoned the fork she was rinsing, whipping her head back him, “My turn. Truth or dare? There’s no escaping me this time.”

Taking his time to answer, he finished drying the bowl he was holding before he responded, “Truth.”

“Too scared I’ll dare you to do something mortifying?” she teased.

“I prefer to be safe than sorry,” he answered, chin high.

There wasn’t anything in specific that Hiccup felt the need to hide from her. They were fairly open about their opinions on things. The only thing he really kept from Astrid were his feelings toward her that he tried so desperately hard to abandon. After befriending and getting to know her, the universe made it even clearer that Hiccup could never end up with a girl like Astrid. She was so independent and warrior-like. If Dagur was low for her bar, then how could Hiccup, the scrawny excuse of a Viking, ever compete. No. That’s the reason he now deemed his feelings irrelevant, no matter how much that statement was a lie.

“Do you like anyone?” A condescendingly curious grin on her face.

Hiccup wondered if the Gods had any sort of vendetta against him. He was utterly speechless.

“Uhhh… N-no.” He felt his face heat. The pan he was holding slipped slightly from his grip, dropping into the sink and sending a few drops of water flying to his face, “How… how about you?”

She was quick to reply, “No! _I _was the one to ask _you._ And I’m not convinced with your answer.” Astrid looked a bit threatening, seeing that she had now begun on the kitchen knife section of the dirty dishes.

“There really isn’t anyone… anyone that I like,” Hiccup lied. Why was talking to girls so sweaty? Opting for anything that would take the attention off of him he persisted, “But, you’re the one who lives here. Are you meaning to tell me that there is no suitor that has caught the eye of the extraordinary Astrid Hofferson?”

“No one on this island,” she admitted, finding small knife in her hand suddenly very interesting.

That was honestly more than Hiccup had expected to pry out of her. With no idea where this conversation would lead to he tried, “And this person would be someone who doesn’t live here?”

Hiccup lived on Berk. Not Beserker island. His heart pounded restlessly, ready to jump out of his chest. Was it even possible that she could be talking about him?

“There was a young sailor who stopped by the island a few months ago. You could say he was attractive,” Astrid confesses, drying the butter knife she’d cleaned.

Well. There went Hiccup’s hopes and dreams.

She picked a large butcher knife, and began soaping it up as she pried, “But seriously? No one on the isle of Berk tempts its heir?”

“I mean, there’s a girl named Ruffnut, but she has a twin brother who she’s really attached to, so I don’t think it would really work out.” Hiccup said all of this as a way to avoid all future questions relating to romance. Ruffnut wasn’t his type at all, but she was the first girl he could think of.

He was surprised when he turned to dry the bowl plate he finished washing but paused when he saw how deadly Astrid looked with the butcher knife clutched in her hand. Her knuckles were white and she seemed concentrated on her breathing as if she were fighting the urge to chop off his arm.

“Are you jealous?” Hiccup played.

Maybe it was stupid to joke with Astrid when she was in her dangerous mode, but Hiccup only had three more days left with Astrid, so he decided to set aside all good judgement.

“I would have to like you first to be jealous…” she muttered, her fist loosening around the cooking weapon.

“And… do you? Like me that is.”

There went his heart again, incessantly begging to break free of its cage.

“Yes.”

The thing that snapped him out of his euphoric trance was the sound of a shattering. The plate he was holding had slid from his hands.

In seconds, they were both crouched on the floor, collecting the pieces of scattered glass. It had gone all around the kitchen. He reached for the last shard under the center table and bumped his head while standing back up.

Astrid tried her best to hide an obvious smile. As she handed him the pieces she’d picked up, Hiccup caught her gaze. She was clearly flushed and probably as flustered as he was feeling.

“Astrid,” he began. If she could say it, so could he, “I like you too.”

Before either of them could say anything, the door slammed open and Dagur unceremoniously entered the kitchen. They quickly distanced themselves from one another to feign doing their chores.

“Hey guys!” said the new boy in the kitchen, “There’s this huge boar fight happening in the town square. You should check it out.”

Hiccup sneaked a glance to Astrid who undoubtedly remembered the dare he gave her. The dare he was mentally punching himself for. She turned to Hiccup, stuck out her tongue at him and sided up next to Dagur, wrapping their arms together.

“That’s a great idea,” Astrid voiced to no one in particular.

Abandoning the little dishes left to wash, he joined Astrid and Dagur to meet with the rest of their friends. Hiccup was going to make the best of his last days on Beserker Island.


	2. That Weird Stomach-Dropping Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Thanks to everyone who read part one of my story, I'm so happy with the response it got.  
I have nothing more to say, so happy reading!

Astrid had gotten herself into this mess.

Who in all the nine realms confessed they liked someone and had the other reciprocate only to mutually agree not to act on it? She was probably making herself suffer more than the gods originally intended her to. The gods were definitely having a laugh now.

It’s not like the teens didn’t have their reasons. Hiccup only had a few more days before he returned to Berk. It wouldn’t be smart of them to start anything with the limited amount of time they had left. It would only make the separation more difficult.

Arriving at his going away celebration was already making her feel an aching tug at her chest. The music was oblivious to her melancholy, with its lilting tune. Still, it was impossible not to at least tap your foot along with the cheery beat.

As their friend group strolled into the Great Hall, Astrid couldn’t help but glance at the freckle-faced boy, in his usual green tunic, resulting in both her and Hiccup blushing and averting their gazes when he caught her staring.

What was the point of telling Hiccup she liked him if she would still act flustered at his every move?

Someone’s laughter managed to drag her out of her daze. Fishlegs choked at something Dagur had joked about. Heather was glared at her brother, mad about whatever it was he had said. Hiccup was observing the crowd, mingling and revelling to the pounding of the tribal drums.

The music changed in pacing; tempo even faster. Heather abruptly turned to Astrid, “I love this dance!” The usually shy girl grabbed Astrid by the arm and began pulling her to the center of the Hall where groups were gathered in circles, dancing. Everyone started to follow the girls except for Hiccup. 

Heather faced him, determined to get everyone to dance. “Aren’t you going to dance?”

“I’m not much of a dancer,” he said, hands scratching the back of his neck in a subconscious manner.

“Aren’t the children of chiefs supposed to learn all traditional dances?” Dagur countered, joining his sister’s enthusiasm.

“I never said I couldn’t dance.”

Astrid took the reluctant boy by the arm, his deep green eyes widening. “C’mon then. You know this whole celebration is meant for you, right? It would be rude to refuse to dance.”

Knowing he was not going to win this, Hiccup conceded, muttering under a suppressed grin, “You and I both know very well that your village will find _any_ excuse to throw a party.”

Astrid rolled her eyes amicably and rushed them to form a circle formation and began dancing with her friends.

* * *

Astrid was still catching her breath from all the dancing. Heather had convinced her to stay for a few more dances, always claiming the next one as the “last one”. Astrid could hardly deny her friend in moments like these. Heather normally chose to keep to herself, so whenever Astrid saw the girl act more extroverted, she couldn’t help but join Heather in her ecstatic nature.

Astrid did have to draw the line at twelve dances, though. The room spun from all the swinging and twirling. She could hardly keep her feet under her, when she stepped away. She finally collapsed into a chair a ways away from most of the commotion, sighing contentedly.

It was when her surroundings stilled, that she saw him. Hiccup, looking equally as exhausted as she felt, beamed at her, slumped in the chair, as he made his way to sit near her.

Her insides did that weird thing again. That sensation that felt like she was dropping suddenly. The flush of heat followed, trailing down her face to the rest of her body, sending a wave of shivers along her skin. It was the feeling that she got every time she saw a certain brown-haired boy.

“You managed to escape Heather,” said Astrid, doing her best to disguise her flustered state, “I’m impressed.”

Hiccup wheezed, clearly too worn out to get out a real laugh. “I didn’t know she could ever get that excited over things.”

She grinned and nodded in agreement. For a while they just sat there, regaining their energy while appreciating the melodical silence between them. Astrid watched as her people ate and drank. A man, howling in laughter with his companions. A pair of children sat at one of the tables clapping enthusiastically to the music. A woman competed against a man at a fist-fight, exclaiming in victory as she thudded his hand on the wood barrel between them.

Amongst all the wonderful chaos, Heather danced, carefree. She expertly dodged from trays of mead being served whenever she switched partners. She smiled wide when she joined Fishlegs and another older couple. The foursome wove themselves through each other rhythmically. Astrid saw Heather’s excitement double every time she met with Fishlegs in little intervals of the exchanges.

“Fishlegs and Heather look really happy together,” sounded her own reason of double excitement’s voice from beside her, “I never would’ve guessed.”

Astrid was taken out of her reverie and answered Hiccup, “Me neither. But from what Heather’s told me. I’m almost sure that she’s head over heels for him.”

Astrid inwardly scowled at her cowardice. They were gossiping about others’ relationship drama to avoid taking about their own. Neither of them made any effort to steer away the conversation, though.

Hiccup started, “They’d make a gre—.”

His statement was cut off by a certain red-haired, kind of crazy, destroyer of conversation with Hiccup opportunities, Dagur. Nodding in acknowledgement to Hiccup, Dagur shifted his attention to her. “Astrid, will you dance with me?”

His soft tone caught her off-guard. He was usually so… intense. Astrid could see Hiccup attempting to act like he was oblivious to the situation out of the corner of her eye.

She didn’t avoid Dagur out of spite, it was everyone who observed her that got on her nerves. She had managed to keep the attention of the village matchmakers at bay for the first ten years of her life. The older women somehow stuck to the conclusion that she was the only suitable girl for the chief’s heir. Once she was twelve and him, fourteen, the talk around town of their fictional marriage contract began to simmer.

It infuriated Astrid to no avail, that the big interest of the public was who she would marry instead of her accomplishments in training that she actually strived for. Only, the talk truly erupted once Hiccup was thrown into the kill ring that was their bachelor competition. You’d think the monthly dragon raids on their island would be more of a common conversation topic. Of course not. She was tired of the people her age being treated as entertainment.

She didn’t want to lead Dagur on by dancing with him, but he was the son of the chief. Astrid had already avoided him a lot lately, it was almost obvious. Her family could be affected badly by a refusal to dance with him. Just as she was about to reluctantly accept his offer, she heard the mellow introduction to the song of the next dance.

Thor give her strength. She could manage an interweaving dance in large groups, but the song that was playing was meant to be a couple’s dance. No exchanging of partners. If she were to accept this dance with Dagur, she’d be making a loud statement.

The awkward silence was cut off by Hiccup clearing his throat, “You should go dance with him.”

It hit her that Hiccup didn’t know the consequences of her taking up the offer because this dance was traditional only to the Beserker tribe. He didn’t know the dance.

A thought came to her then. “Actually… Since this dance is traditionally Beserker, I was thinking of teaching Hiccup. As… as a diplomatic gesture, of course.”

Dagur blinked, righting himself. He looked taken-aback by her words. Had he noticed that it had been an outright denial? Astrid hoped that what she said disguised her appal and came off as courteous, as to not taint her family’s reputation.

“Oh… sure. That’s very… noble of you, Astrid,” said Dagur, his eyes not meeting hers. It was so strange to see him like this.

“I’m sorry.” She tried to amend. “Maybe another time?”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

Astrid found herself reaching for the hilt of her absent axe, searching for its comforting feel. Instead, she ran her fingers long the waistline of her skirt. She let out a shuddering breath as Dagur walked away. A chuckle beside her caught her attention.

“That was awkward,” muttered Hiccup, suppressing his smile to the best of his ability.

The remark earned him a punch to the arm. A satisfied smirk graced her lips as he grabbed at his now-sore arm.

She stood and faced the boy, beckoning him up, “Dance with me?”

“I thought that was just an excuse to get out of dancing with Dagur.”

“Well it was, but then I decided it was a fun idea.”

He contemplated her, shifting his gaze between her extended hand and where Astrid could see couples pairing up to dance.

“I’m going to look ridiculous out there. I haven’t learned this dance.” He crossed his arms subconsciously.

“I’ll teach you.” Astrid mentally slapped herself for blushing before she added, “Besides, this one doesn’t involve too much partner switching.”

Hiccup hesitantly agreed and trailed behind her to where she led them to be just out of the main area where others swayed with their partners.

Astrid placed both her hands in his. She motioned for him to twist one arm around her, so now her back faced him. Leading him to spin them once around, she marveled at how quickly Hiccup picked up her cues. As soon as she motioned for him to do something, he understood, pulling her closer and twirling her with more confidence. The intensity of the music began to pick up as she unravelled herself from his hold, positioning herself forearm to forearm with him. He was basically leading at this point. The slight force he used to signal Astrid where to go made the butterflies in her belly take flight. An unfamiliar section of the dance had Astrid taking control again. She made for them to twist around, the exact opposite of what they were previously doing, but now grabbing onto each other’s waists as they swung around.

Astrid smirked at his light hold. He probably was worried she would hurt him for being too close. Rolling her eyes at his chivalry, she pressed herself closer to him and wrapped his arm tighter around her waist. She caught his face flushing and laughing nervously, but they continued moving to the melody and its ever-growing tempo.

The steps of the dance had gone back to the beginning and Astrid grinned as she noticed Hiccup’s lack of stumbling through this round. He was a fast learner.

On the outskirts of all the dancing, Astrid spotted villagers staring at them and whispering to one-another.

Her immediate reaction was to shy away from him, but why should Astrid be ashamed of being with Hiccup? Maybe it was because she thought the other villagers would feel she betrayed them by not paying much attention to Dagur.

It made Astrid feel a bit guilty that at first, she spent time with Hiccup to take attention away from her and Dagur being a couple, but over the month, she grew more and more grateful, because she had found a friend in him. Talking to Hiccup was easy. They could talk about anything and Astrid didn’t have to worry that she’d be judged. She also loved hearing him go off about topics she understood nothing about, such as his numerous inventions. He had a way of talking when he got passionate that made even the most mundane things, a tale to tell around a campfire.

The whispers of the crowd continued, but now that she was dancing with Hiccup, all doubts in her mind disappeared. Being with him was fun. He made her heart to unexplainable things. Being in his arms made her feel like she was soaring through the clouds.

Banishing all the consequences, Astrid pushed away her care of others’ opinions of her and just danced.

* * *

Tired, breathless and with a full heart, Astrid accompanied Hiccup out of the Great Hall. They had just finished bidding their friends a good night and Astrid led him up a hill close by. From where they sat on the grass, Astrid caught glimpses of parents carrying sleeping children and drunken villagers stumbling their way home. The two friends were far enough out of view not to be noticeable, but still fairly out in the open.

The rose-coloured sky that she usually felt calm in the presence of, was now robbing her of her joy. The moon would soon appear. The day was ending and that meant that Hiccup was leaving soon.

His boat was scheduled to depart early in the morning. These were Astrid’s last moments to spend with him.

Beside her, Hiccup was silent and lost in thought. Astrid had seen his mind at work enough to know that he was a genius. But the invisible wheels that turned in his head weren’t ones of inventing.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind,” she said.

Astrid noticed him jump slightly at her voice. He gave her a look as if he didn’t want to burden her with his thoughts. She chucked him lightly in the arm, leaning back on her hands and splayed her feet in front of her, looking to him expectantly.

Hiccup sighed before he began, “Sometimes… I wish I was raised here. As the son of someone with a low status, like… a fisherman, or something. There aren’t _that_ many dragon raids here. It’s relatively peaceful.” He lowered his gaze, “I could grow up with you, Heather and Dagur. And I wouldn’t have any predestined responsibilities or obligations.”

Astrid blinked. She was certainly not prepared for his playful demeanor to change so drastically, but acted understanding nonetheless. Were things really that bad back on Berk? From the information she collected, she knew that he was given a hard time on his island, but the profound look in his eyes showed that the scars were deeper than they appeared.

“If you grew up with us, you’d be there to witness all our embarrassing childhood moments,” she tried with a more playful route.

That seemed to pull him out of his stupor. The corners of his lips curled up, “I’d be there to see all your awful attempts at turning Dagur down.” He paused, laughing at her half-hearted glare, “I would get a job at the forge as an apprentice…”

“And I’d be there to help you test out all your crazy contraptions,” Astrid cut in, getting into the hypothetical life of theirs. She added with a grin, “For free axe sharpening, too.”

“Don’t push your luck, Hofferson.”

“Ha! Like you’d _ever_ be able to deny me.”

Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. That rarely happened to her. Astrid noted he was looking away again. She saw the hint of a blush creep onto him.

He was pulling at a blade of grass when he said, “And once we were older… if you agreed, of course,” his face growing an even deeper shade of scarlet. He took a steadying breath, “I’d go to your father… to ask for his permission to court you.”

He was cringing away, like he was expecting a painful jab to the side. It was reasonable to be afraid of her, Astrid guessed, but she didn’t want to feel like she had the respect she had solely because she was feared.

She made a show of looking at her nails nonchalantly and hummed a questioning sigh, “Son of a fisherman would be a big step down from son of a chief.”

Astrid mentally chided herself, because saying that made her sound as if she was another gold-digger only interested in a financially secure marriage.

Hiccup didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were set in a determined gaze, “I would prove my worth by earning it.”

Astrid marveled at him. Hiccup could be so oblivious sometimes. He thought she meant Dagur when she compared the son of fisherman to that of the chief. How could he think so little of himself? Or perhaps, he was trying to distance himself from his real life. Once again, Astrid’s heart dropped at his feelings of neglect.

“If everything worked out,” he continued, wrapped up in his fantasy, “I’d even ask you to… “

_Marry you, _she heard his eyes finish. Her heart dropped for a different reason now.

She realized that Hiccup wouldn’t make a terrible option as a husband either. He was the son of a chief. In all aspects, him and Dagur were equally matched. Her parents would probably be ecstatic at the prospect.

Astrid shook her head. Hypothetical thoughts were of no use to either of them. Not if it would steal away from her time with him.

The ocean was visible from where they sat. Only a sliver of the sun showed on the horizon. Around them, Astrid spotted the beginnings of stars. The music died to a lull as she heard the distant chatter of the last people leaving the Great Hall. Her parents were probably waiting for her back home.

Astrid couldn’t bear the thought of going, though.

“Do you think you’re ever coming back,” she asked. The question was the first that popped in her head in hopes of extending their conversation so they wouldn’t have to separate, but now, she was curious.

“To Beserker Island?” The green of his eyes brightened, “I would love to! This past month has been incredible. But, I don’t think I’ll be coming back any time soon. If I do, it wouldn’t be for as long.”

He sighed and followed her line of vision to the Great Hall’s entrance where Dagur had his arm around his sister as they walked home. Nobody noticed Astrid and Hiccup above them.

Looking at him twirling a piece of grass, Astrid couldn’t help but wonder what it’d feel like to kiss Hiccup, but she shoved that thought aside. She didn’t know the first thing about kissing. How would she even go about doing it? 

He broke the silence that fell over them, shaking Astrid out of her wandering thoughts. “I… I can’t shake off the feeling that I’m going to regret leaving,” he confessed.

“Then stay,” Astrid responded without thinking and blushing in embarrassment.

He met her eyes, then.

“I want to.”

_But you can’t._

They both knew it. He was the son of the chief. He had obligations to his tribe. Astrid was very familiar with the mentality of keeping up family honour. He was probably going to be married off in some political arrangement, too.

As Astrid thought harder about it, the thought came to her that she had a high enough ranking in the village for a marriage between them to count as a beneficial one, politics-wise. She could leave with him.

What was she thinking? She was barely fifteen! They were both too young and too newly introduced for them to even consider marriage.

Astrid was acting rash and like a lovesick adolescent. This wasn’t love. How could it be? She was too young to feel these emotions and had nothing to compare them to. Everything that had happened between her and Hiccup could be a considered a relationship formed off of convenience.

But even as she thought that, Astrid couldn’t stop looking at his lips. She wanted to know what they’d feel like pressed against hers. It would be so easy to lean in…

Hiccup then stood up, and offered her his hand to help her. Astrid took it, confused, then saw that no one, apart from the Vikings patrolling, was outside. The black sky above swarmed with stars. The only sound reaching her was the faint lapping of waves below where they perched.

The waves Hiccup would be sailing off on early in the morning. No, she didn’t want him to leave. There was still so much to say between them.

“Astrid, I-I just want to… thank you. For everything,” he stammered, “Meeting you was… the best thing to happen to me in… in a long time.”

There was a tightening in Astrid’s chest that was overcome by a persistent pounding. That magnificent dropping feeling in her stomach had returned.

Astrid knew that if something were to happen, she’d probably be the one to initiate it. He was too timid. Even if she did kiss him, would he even like it? Maybe that’s why he made no advances. She knew Hiccup cared for her, but did he feel as intensely as her?

They had agreed not to act on their feelings for each other because that would just make him going away more difficult for them both. At the same time, it felt wrong to stay away.

His green eyes shone in the moonlight. There was longing in his gaze that probably mirrored Astrid’s own expression. Hope flickered in her chest. Maybe he wouldn’t mind. There was no one around to see them…

No, she wouldn’t kiss him. They had agreed to that, and even though it pained her to let him go, it was what had to happen.

She nodded respectfully and noticed her hands were still wrapped in his. Astrid made no move to change that. The breeze cooled her warm face.

“Well,” she began the inevitable farewell, “I hope you have a nice life.”

“You too,” he whispered.

Astrid didn’t see what had happened, but the next thing she knew, his lips had found her cheek and he was pulling away.

He searched her expression for any sign that she objected to his actions. He was met with a flustered smile. Squeezing her hands once, he went to walk down the grassy hill, leaving Astrid to gawk as he left.

The stars were the only witnesses to her bittersweet delight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha. Unresolved ending. I'm not very good with big stories with complicated plots and all that jazz. I think I'm going to end this story here. I feel like if I kept writing, I'd just ruin all this lovely tension I've built up. So, I'll just leave you hanging for the end of this story. Again, big thanks to @celtictreemuffin (on Tumblr) for putting up with me and my story ideas. 
> 
> Btw: my tumblr is @hey-its-laura-again for those who are interested.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. This story was originally intended to only be a two-part drabble, but I've been playing with the idea of a part three (and posssibly more). No promises, though.


End file.
